The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-03-03

1eather Tor my nat. lsnt that tnlng an
eagleg" ,.-
II am afraid it is only hawk" ast
"Well, that will do. Shoot that!"
Her eyes We're sparkling. Falkner with.
drew his own with slight smile and raised
his rife with provoking elaboration.
@Are you quite sure it's what you wantf"
he asked demurely.
"Ycs-quick!" - .--. aa s.
Nevertheless, it was some minutes before
the rifle cracked again. The wheeling bird
suddenly struck the wind with its wings
aslant, and then fell like a piummet at a
distance which showed the difficulty of the
feat Falkner started from her side before
the bird reached the ground He returned to
her after lapse of a few moments, bearing
trailing wing in his hand. "You shall make
your choice, !" he said gayly.
"Are you sure it was killed outright"
"Head shot off," said Falkner briefly.
"And, besides, the fall would have killed
it," said Knte conclusiveiy. "It's lovely.
suppose they call you very good shotF'
"They-who?" -.
"Ohl the people you know-your friends
and their sisters"
George shoots better than I do, and has
had more experience. I've seen him do that
with pistol. Of course not such long shot,
but more difficult one."
Kate did not reply, but her face showed a
conviction that as an artistic and gentle
manly performance it was probably in
ferior to the one she had witnessed Falkner,
who had picked up the hare also, again took
his place by her side, as they turned toward
the house.
ado you remember the day you came,
when we were walking here. you pointed out
that rock on the mountain where the poor
animals had taken refuge from the snow"
said Kate, suddenly.
have diminished. am afraid You were right;
they have either eaten each other or escaped.
Let us hope the latter"
II looked at them with q glass every day."
said Kate, land they've got down to only
four. There's bear and that shabby, over
grown cat you call California lion, and a
wolf, and a creature like fox or a squirrel"
ats pity they're not all Of a kind" said
Falkner.
"Why"
"Thered be nothing to keep them from be-
ing comfortable together"
Son the contrary. should think it would
be sim ply awful to be shut up entirely with
ones own kind"
81 hen you believe it is possible for them,
with heir different natures and habits, to be
happy togetheri" said Falkner, with sudden
saruestness. ...E. ...... ... "-.-
the bear and the hon find the fox and the
wolf very amusing; and that the fox and
the wolff
'Well." said Falkner, stopping short.
well, the fox and the wolf will carry
away much better opinion of the lion and
bear than they had before ="
They had reached the house by this time,
and for some occult reason Kate did not i'm
mediately enter the parlor, where she had
left her sister and the invalid, who had al
ready been promoted to a sofa and a cushion
by the window, but proceeded directly to
meeting Mrs. Hale, it Yves scarcely neces-
Yary, for that lady was already in advance of
her Oh the staircase, as if she had left the
parlor moment before they entered the
house, Falkner, too, would have preferred
the company Of his own thoughts, but Lee,
apparently the only unpreoccupied, all per-
vading and boyishly alert spirit in the party,
hailed him from within, and obliged him to
present himself on the threshold Of the par
lor with the hare and hawks wing he was
still carrying. Eying the latter with affected
concern, Lee said gravely: "Of course,
part of the fowl, and the hare isn't more
than enough for the women, but had no
idea we were so reduced. Three hours and
a half cunning, and only one hare and q
hawks wing It's terrible"
Perceiving that bis friend was alone, Falk-
ner dropped his burden in the hall and strobe
rapidly to his side. Look here, George, we
must-I must-leaye this place at once. It's
no use talking; can stand this sort of thing
no longer" ......a p
"Nor can I, with the door open. Shut it,
and say what YOU want quick, before Mrs.
Hale comes back, Have you found a trailp
"No, no; that's not what mean"
"Well, it strikes me it ought to be, If You
expect to get away. Have you proposed to
Beacon Street, and she thinks 1t rather pre-
mature on weeks acquaintanceF'
mo; but
"But you will, you meana Don't, just
yet" .-.
"But ] cannot live this perpetual ie."
"Ihat depends. don't know how you're
lying when I'm not with you. If you're
walking round with that girl, singing hymns
and talking of your class in Sunday school.
or if you're insinuating that you're million
aire. and think of buying the place for a
summer hotel, should say you'd better quit
that kind of lying. But, on the other band,
I don't see the necessity Of your dancing
round here with shot gun, and yelling for
Harkins' blood, or counting that package of
greenbacks in the lap of Miss Scott, to be
truthful 1t seems to me there ought to be
something between the two"
@But, George, don't you think-you are on
such good terms with Mrs. Hale and her
mother-that you might tell them the whole
storyi That is, tell it in your own way; they
will bear anything from you and believe it"
aThank you; but suppose don't believe in
lying eithers"
"You know what I meant You have q
way, d-n 1t, of making everything seem like
q matter of course. and the most natural
thing going"
sWell, suppose ! did. Are you prepared
for the worstsn
Falkner was silent for q moment and then
replied, ayes; anything would be better than
this suspense @
VI don't agree with you. Then You would
be willing to have them forgive usl'
81 don't understand you"
al mean that their forgiveness would be the
worst thing that could happen. Look here,
Ned Stop a moment; listen at that door.
Mrs. Hale has the tread OF an angel, with the
peryading capacity of a cat. Now, listenl
don't pretend to be in love with anybody
here, but if were should hardly take adj
vantage OF wonan's helplessness and soii-
tude with a sensational story about myself
Us not giving her . fair show. Won know